Ignacio Zaragoza
Ignacio Seguín Zaragoza (March 24, 1829 , † September 8, 1862 ) was a general in the Mexican army who became famous for his victory over the French intervention forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 (the Cinco de Mayo ).
Zaragoza was born in Presidio de la Bahía del Espíritu Santo in the then Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas (now Goliad , Texas ). His family moved to Matamoros in 1834 and then to Monterrey in 1844 . There the young Ignacio attended the seminary , which he left again in 1846. When war broke out with the United States , he wanted to volunteer for the Mexican Army , but was refused. He then worked for some time as a seller of merchandise.
During the revolt against Antonio López de Santa Anna in 1853, Zaragoza joined the Nuevo León militia and was soon promoted to sergeant. When this was later incorporated into the regular army, he received the rank of captain . He fought for the Liberals against the troops of Santa Anna, including in the battles of Saltillo and Monterrey.
On January 21, 1857, his brother had to act as deputy at his wedding to Rafaela Padilla when Zaragoza was on an important mission for the army in San Luis Potosí . He and his wife later had four children, three of whom died in childhood.
During the Reform War of 1857–1861, Zaragoza fought again in all major battles for the Liberals under the leadership of Benito Juárez, who took special trust in him. So it happened that after the civil war he had won, Zaragoza was appointed Minister of War in April 1861. But in October of the same year, Zaragoza resigned from his new post to take over command of the troops in the east - the French intervention in Mexico was announced. His wife died in January 1862.
A short time later, Zaragoza had to concentrate on its task because the French had landed an expeditionary force. He attacked the French on April 28 at Acultzingo and was repulsed. Zaragoza recognized the strategic value of Puebla as a blocking position on the way to Mexico City and had it expanded for defense; in the position prepared in this way, he defied General Lorencez's 6,000 French with only 4,000 poorly armed men in the battle of Puebla .
After the battle was won, he informed President Juárez of his victory in a one-liner:
Las armas nacionales se han cubierto de gloria
(meaning: "The nation's weapons have covered themselves with glory") (This saying later became so popular that it now graced the Mexican 500 peso banknote between 1995 and 2000 together with Zaragoza's portrait .)
Despite the subsequent defeat against the French, whom he had followed with his troops to Orizaba and who in turn repulsed his attack, the victory at Puebla raised the morale of the Mexicans tremendously. In August he was summoned to Mexico City, where he was hailed as a hero in the streets. When he returned to his troops in Puebla shortly afterwards, he fell ill with typhus , of which he died on September 8, just 33 years old.
Benito Juárez was heartbroken at the loss of the able general and reliable comrade in arms; he arranged a state funeral and made the Cinco de Mayo , the day of victory at Puebla, a national holiday. The city itself was renamed from "Puebla de los Angeles" to "Puebla de Zaragoza".
Web links
- "Zaragoza, Ignacio Seguín". in the "Texas Online Manual" .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zaragoza, Ignacio |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zaragoza, Ignacio Seguín |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Mexican general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 24, 1829 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Goliad , Presidio de la Bahía del Espíritu Santo, then Mexico |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 8, 1862 |